Neal Lance Gildner, 60, of Bismarck, Ark., died May 29, 2016, in St. Vincent Hospital, Hot Springs, Ark.

Born June 16, 1955, in Allentown, he was the son of the late Earl and Helen (DeLong) Gildner.

A 10th generation Dutch German, his family settled in Lehigh County in the 1740s.

He was very close to his maternal grandparents, Ida (Metzger) and Clarence Delong, who farmed the land.

Moving to Texas in his early teens with his parents and brother, Maurice, he grew up loving all things mechanical, and rebuilt his first motorcycle at age 10.

He owned new car dealerships, Ford, Lincoln, Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Ram, Buick, Chevrolet and GMC, for more than 30 years.

He created Gildner AutoGroup and had his vision and personality everywhere one looked.

At any given time, he could be found directing a body shop repair, conducting a sales staff meeting, instructing a mechanic on what was the best approach to diagnosing a problem or drinking coffee with a longtime customer.

He had a love, zeal and passion for life.

Some of his interests were training horses (and people), riding, farming or just fishing.

He was old-fashioned, as he believed in helping neighbors, hard work and if one was going to do something, it needed to be done right.

He taught his family members how to love, spend wisely and respect who they are and others.

He is survived by his loving wife Cheryl L. (Batton) Gildner of Bismarck; sons Ryan (Erin) Gildner of Bryant, Ark., Tyler Gildner of Dallas, Texas; grandchildren Hagen and Koen Gildner of Bryant, Ark.; and brother, Maurice Gildner of Princeton, Texas. Willard A. Snyder and his wife, Lucille, had a lifelong impact on his life.

Expressions of sympathy may be left at heintzelmancares.com.

Memorial contribution may be made to the Lynn Heidelberg Historical Society c/o the funeral home, P.O. Box 196, Schnecksville, PA 18078-0196.

Local arrangements made by Heintzelman Funeral Home Inc., Schnecksville.